The True Story of A
by Tori-Colour-Bastia
Summary: One of the biggest mysteries in Death Note is about A. Who was he? What really happened when he committed suicide that night? Just as the title said, this is the truest story of the boy known, up until now, only as A. Rated T because I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1: Escape

Chapter 1: Escape

_**This idea just came to me late last night. Almost like it was meant to be written down. Like A wanted me to write it. Like Avril wanted me to write it in her perspective.**_

I should at least give you an introduction about myself. Who am I? A young onlooker, never affiliated with Whammy's or the Kira case. Me. Avril. Near's forbidden girlfriend. I'll save my story for another time. This isn't about Nate. Nor is it about the Kira Case itself. As you can tell from the title, this is about A and B. Not as a couple, but as L's original successors. This story starts one story night as a six-year-old A looked out of his window…

Lightning shattered the angry sky. A single raven flew up towards the moon.

_Why can't I be free like that bird? Why me? Why am I cooped up here while that bird can soar into the silvery light of the moon?_

A shed a tear that mingled with the raindrops on the other side of his window pane. B sat on the other side of their dorm reading a book.

"Don't stare for too long. It's not good for your eyes," the L look-alike said into the crisp white pages.

Although A was the first child at Whammy's, B was older. When A was found as a baby at six months, B was living happily with his parents at the age of five. They died four years later.

A turned around, another tear forming in his caramel eyes.

"I was just thinking, why can't I go away? I don't like it here. Why can't I just climb over the gate and run away?" He started to cry. "What's the point in being L's successor if I can't do what I want!"

B put a hand on his shoulder.

"Go. Run. Run until your legs give out. Get as far away from this crazy place as possible!"

"But Backup-"

B cut him off. "I'll cover for you. And don't call me Backup anymore. Call me Beyond. One on day, that's what I'll do. Go beyond L and all these people here at this asylum. And one day, we'll see each other again. One sweet day."

A threw his arms around B.

"Thanks Beyond. I owe you."

A waited for midnight. He snuck out of bed in his pajamas and climbed over the gate.

B got to work, imitating A's handwriting best as he could on a piece of his own stationary. He wrote the following note:

Dear readers,

Due to the immense pressure put upon me by the staff and members of Whammy's House, I have decided to end my life by jumping off the bridge into the river. By the time you get this note I will be long dead.

My apologies,

A

B looked out the window at his friend and saw his face and real name for the last time. Antonio Vedercci. A name that would, eventually, fade from his mind.

_**Hope you liked it! Please review.**_


	2. Chapter 2: Bells

Chapter 2: Bells

_**I really like this chapter. Read it and you'll see why. I love the new character we introduce and what we learn about A. This chapter reveals why I wrote this. If, somehow, A is reading this, I hope he likes it.**_

A hid in the bathroom of the Winchester local church, planning to spend the night in the highest part of the spire, next to the bells. As the jingle of keys signaled the absence of guards, A crept silently up the metal stairway, up to the highest point of the bell tower. Under the huge brass bell, he looked out the small window.

A gently pressed his chin onto the cold, rust-colored marble. It was an old church. The view of Winchester was your typical English small town. It looked like it hadn't changed in the last hundred years. Whammy's House's gat loomed on a hill. The spire was level with his old window. Beyond's silhouette was visible. Could he see him? He knew B had excellent night vision and could probable tell there was a person at the church, but probably didn't know it was him.

An alarm beeped somewhere above him. Wasn't this the highest point? It was followed by a groan and footsteps. A person? A thought the guards had all left! He dove into a dark corner, as not to be seen. The amber beam of a flashlight low on batteries cut the darkness like a knife. A girl with black hair and black-brown eyes clambered down the stairs. She grabbed the rope and pulled it twice. The bells ring sounded that many times. It was so loud that A let out a small yell. The girl screamed and dropped her flashlight on the metal floor with a clatter. It flashed twice and went dead like a firefly.

"Who's there?" the girl's voice quavered slightly with fear like she was trying to be brave.

A decided the time to hide was over and he crept out from his corner.

"My name is A."

That was his introduction. No occupation, no point of origin, no last name. Just A.

"Could you help me find my flash light before I kick it to the bottom? I've already climbed those stairs once this week."

A fumbled through his pockets to find the lighter he had picked up off the street. With a click, a small flame appeared before him, illuminating his face and revealing to the girl his ruddy brown hair.

The girl looked down and, careful not to move her feet, picked up her flashlight.

"Follow me. Watch your step on the stairs."

With a click, A extinguished the small light and followed the girl. He went down on all fours as not to trip and fall spiraling to his death down about one hundred yards of evil metal.

The girl kicked a door open on the top of the stairs. Light suddenly flooded through the room. A squinted against it. Once his eyes adjusted he realized he was being lead up to the girl's room. She offered him a seat beside her on the cot.

"So why are you here?"

A looked away. "Why does it matter?"

"I'm offering you a place to stay. I at least want to know who you are."

"Like I said before, my name is A. I'm a C-level. I also speak Italian and Japanese. I'm six years old and my roommate is, well was, B."

"A? That's really your name?"

He nodded.

"I was orphaned at a young age, so the director gave me the name A."

"What director?"

"The director of Whammy's of course. I've been there for as long as I can remember."

"So, you're gifted?"

"Kind of. I think the word 'gifted' gives a sense of egotism and I don't even know my true name. It gives off the wrong signals."

"Well I thing we should give you a name. A's not a name at all; it's more of an alias. I think Light would do well as a name for you. After all, you did light up the room when I dropped my light. Your presence will make my life interesting. Light up my life, Light!"

A smiled. From that moment forward, A was just an alias. Light would be his true name, although the Shinigami eyes would still see him as "Antonio Vedercci" until he got a true last name and a true family.

_**Like the plot twist? I don't think you'll see Light/Raito the same way again! Haha! Who knew he was Italian? Review and tell me what you think! Gracias!**_


	3. Chapter 3: April

Chapter 3: April

_**We learn more about our mystery girl and A/Light/Raito. Enjoy!**_

"What about you? Who are you? What were you doing down there?" Light asked.

"Well, I know it's super old fashioned, but I'm the bell ringer here. The church offered me a place to stay after my parents were murdered in a gang fight last year. I'm seventeen now and I hardly ever leave here. My name is April Lee-LeVoy," April explained.

Light's caramel eyes widened. "That name is so familiar. I can't place my finger on it, but I've definitely heard it before… This frustrates me."

"How would it be familiar to you?" she asked. "You seem so naïve."

"I'm a detective. I solve a few cases a night. Some of the names stick… But I can't think right now. So much has happened in the last twenty-four hours that it's unfathomable that any names from cases I've solved would stick… No, it makes the most sense though. You said your parents were murdered."

"Please stop talking to yourself. It'll make people think you're crazy."

Light looked to the metal floor. "Sorry April."

"Don't apologize. I think you could be a cool person if I could just normalize you."

"Normalize?"

"Make you more normal."

"So what do you do all day?" Light asked.

April smiled. "Let me show you something."

The bell ringer grabbed the detective's wrist and lead him up more stairs (seriously, how many flights of stairs are in this church?) to the highest point in Winchester. Even the roof of Whammy's house was dwarfed by the church steeple.

The room was octagonal. It was a bit stuffy and smelled strongly of chemicals. The walls were crisp white, though the table was covered with splashes of all colors. A mallet sat sideways on a piece of granite on the other side of the table. The shelf was lined with small bottles containing liquid of different shades of brown and other colors.

"What is this place?" Light asked.

"This is where I work. See, my hour is split into three parts. I take one minute to ring the bell, nine minutes of sleep, and fifty minutes of free time. With my free time, I make and sell leather dog tags, belts, journal covers, jackets and other items. The local shop keeper comes up here once a week to buy my wares to sell in his shop. I also get a week's supply of food. Like I said before, I don't come down a lot, so I need a hobby. This gets me extra money from time to time." April snapped her jacket. "I made this you know."

"So cool! You made all this?"

April nodded. "I could make you a dog tag."

Light's face lit up. "AWESOME!"

April smiled. Her watch (with a leather strap, of course) beeped. "Well, time to get some shut eye."

April clamored down the stairs and flopped onto her cot, taking out her leather-covered journal. She wrote the following entree:

Dear Journal,

Today, I met a strange boy while going to ring the bell. He says he's from the local orphanage and that he ran away. At first he said his name was A, but I changed it to Light because I thought it would suit him better. He's really nice, but he's more book smart than street smart. I wonder if he can be helped. I hope I get to meet his friend Beyond (or is his name B? Light keeps switching his name.) I hope someday, Light gets adopted by a good family. He's going to be very important someday. I can feel it.

Thanks for listening,

April Lee-LaVoy


	4. Chapter 4: Lies

Chapter 4: Lies

_**I still don't own Death Note. It is soul property of Viz Media, Tsugumi Obata and Takeshi Ohba. If you did not receive my note, which was posted for only twenty-four hours, I am rewriting the chapters. Sorry for any inconvenience.**_

One of the workers at Wammy's burst through the door and into the room that currently belonged to B.

"Backup!" the man screamed.

Beyond looked up from the book he was reading.

"I told you not to call me that!" the raven-haired boy protested.

"This is important. I have no time to dawdle with your silly name games. Where is A?"

"I told you, he wrote that note and ran away. I'm just as clueless as you."

"Listen Backup, I'm sending a search party to find him. You better as hell tell me everything you know."

"I told you, I know nothing."

The worker looked Beyond in his blood red eyes.

"You may be able to lie to me, Backup, but you cannot lie to L."

L was here? Was A really that important to them?

At the mention of his name, none other than L (_the _L. Not a proxy, not someone borrowing the title, L Lawliet in all of his sugar-loving glory) stepped into the room. He gestured to the door. The worker left in a hurry.

Beyond freaked out on the inside. L was supposedly a more accurate lye detector than a polygraph.

"Listen B, A is a very important boy. The fate of the world may one day rest in his hands. I don't want this to get any more out of hand than it already has. If you know anything, anything at all, tell me."

"I swear I haven't the faintest clue. I told him to run. He could be anywhere from here to London!" B blurted. The sheer presence of L seemed to scare the truth out of him.

"So you had a hand in this?" L asked.

"He just seemed so depressed! For all I know, he really did throw himself into that river. He sure seemed ready to do so!"

L nodded.

"So you don't know where he is?" he interrogated.

"Not a clue." Beyond said firmly.

L nodded again and left.

Beyond smiled to himself. He had successfully fooled the world's greatest detective. The truth is, Beyond knew A slept in the bell tower last night and was most likely still in Winchester. By telling L that he had a hand in this, L believed that he was telling the truth when he was lying through his teeth. A lie is always better when some truth is there to back it up and make it more believable. Ironically, it was Wammy's House that trained him to lie so well.

April was dying a leather jacket while Light watched when a knock resounded on the door. In stepped a boy with black hair standing on end. He was pale and wore jeans and a white t-shirt. Light caught a glimpse of him and dove behind April. Although he did not know this man was L, he had a feeling Wammy's would search for him.

"Don't talk to me," Light wrote on a discarded slip of paper. "That man is most likely here to take me back to Wammy's House. Don't let him search the house. Please!"

April read the note and shot Light a glance that said "Are you crazy?"

"Is there anyone living here currently?" L called up to April in the loft.

April took three deep breaths. She had no choice but to lie. Her logic was so simple that L would find it laughable: If Light ran away from Wammy's House, then he obviously did not want to be there. Who knows what he went through? They had given him a name he hated and never told him his real name, which was overly suspicious and extremely sketchy, so this was not an organization she could not trust. As intimidating as this strange-looking man may be, she had to protect Light. Period. She felt that he would be destined for great things.

She walked down the stairs.

"I live here."

L held up a waiver. "Late last night, a six-year-old boy known only as A escaped from the local orphanage. We have permission to search the house."

"I assure you, no one is here. How many hiding places do you see here?" April's voice wavered. She was neither a good actress nor a good liar.

She eyed the fine print on the waiver.

"Besides, you can't search the house without my permission." That time, she sounded a bit more confidant. Somehow, she was going to pull this off.

L's dark-rimmed eyes narrowed into a cool grey death glare.

_Why won't she let me search the house? It's not like it's easy to hide a six-year-old. Could there be something else she doesn't want me to see? Or is she really hiding A here? Perhaps he's up those stairs._

"Will you at least let me search the loft where you just were?"

"What a useless endeavor! I was just up there, I think I'd notice if there was a six year old up there. Unless he looks like a bottle of leather dye, he's not up there."

_She's definitely hiding something up there. She's also lying. It's just too obvious. Although a lot of people avoid looking me in the eyes, she keeps shifting her weight from foot to foot, and she's touched her nose at least six times. There's something she doesn't want me to see, but until I get solid evidence other than the fact that she's lying, we might have to let her case go cold._

"Alright. Mind if I search the central living area?" L asked.

"Search away."

L looked in every corner of the room.

_Of course I find nothing, but I might as well play along._

"I see that there was nothing suspicious here. I'd best be off then."

L left, still wondering what she could have been hiding. Once April heard the church door close, she tromped up to the loft, where Light greeted her with an embrace.

"Thank you for protecting me, April." Light said.

April smiled.

_Best case scenario: That man found nothing and won't check back here again. Worst case scenario: He comes back again when Light is older and I can't hide him anymore… I'm not sure of the probability of option #2, but it's most likely pretty low._

L stood outside the church door, mulling over the percentages in his head.

_Alright, there's a 90% she's hiding something. To elaborate on that, there's only a 1% chance it's A. That's not enough to send the cops on her, though. It might not even be illegal, just embarrassing. No, it's best to just drop it. If the probability is only 1% out of a ninety percentage range, then it's most likely nothing. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself. A part of me just wants this to be over. I have several cases on hold that it's of the utmost importance that I must get to._


	5. Chapter 5: Roommate

Chapter 5: Roommate

_**Okay, this chapter is probably more comedic than I meant it to be, but I wanted to make Beyond's experience at Wammy's worse than it already was. Meet Cat, the single worst choice for a roommate the director could have chosen for B.**_

Voices drifted down the hall. Beyond's head perked up. They were familiar voices, but who were they talking to? He decided to listen in.

"And this is where you'll stay. Your roommate will be Backup. You can also call him B."

Roommate? He was getting a new roommate? What? Why didn't anyone tell him?

The worker opened the door and let in a ginger girl who was about ten.

"Backup, this is Cat. Hope you two get a long."

He closed the door behind him.

"Hey Backup!" the ginger said to him. Her voice was so high pitched it pissed him off.

"Please, I prefer Beyond."

"Oh, okay. I'm Cat, but most people call me C!"

She was too nice. It was like locking a rainbow and a storm cloud in the same room. He sighed, getting back to the book he was reading.

"Ooh! Whatcha readin'?" C asked.

"Murder novel," he said without looking up.

"Could you at least look at me when I talk to you?"

"I'm just getting to the good part. If I look up to talk to you , I'll loose my place."

_Plus, I'd rather not talk to you. Your voice gives me a headache, _Beyond thought, but the words never quite graced his lips.

"Well Backup, what's it about?"

"Please go away. And stop calling me Backup."

"Fine Backup."

_Oh my god. This girl only listens to herself. What is wrong with her? Something tells me this is my punishment for letting A escape._

"I told you I prefer B or Beyond." B said, still without looking up.

Cat sighed. "Fine, but I think Backup is a better name for you."

That hit home. He narrowed his scarlet eyes into a glare. If looks could kill, Cat would have had a heart attack at the moment her blue eyes met his.

"Personally, I think you should have been A, for Annoyance. Now let me read."

"Fine, Backup."

This was going to be a torturous existence.


	6. Chapter 6: Enough

Chapter 6: Enough

_**Kept the timeskip this time. I'm sorry I can't go into distinct detail about every day in BB and A's new life. Basically, it was a lot of arguments and bell-ringing (respectively). Spoiler warning for the last paragraph.**_

_**I'm sorry this one took so long. We had a bad storm and a tree fell down, knocking the electrical wires to the ground. Not only was a major road blocked, but my entire neighborhood was out of power. I don't have the chapters on a USB (I refrain from using the word "backup" for BB's sake), so it was only on a computer I couldn't use. I am currently running on a generator, so the next one may take a while.**_

_**This chapter is dedicated to all those affected by Hurricane Irene. My heart goes out to all of you. I hope everything is well again soon.**_

Beyond Birthday pounded on the door to the director's office.

"Come in Backup!" the director called. He'd come in here so many times that the director would be surprised if it was someone else.

The black-haired boy stepped in. When he first met Cat, BB had looked semi-normal. His eyes were red (he couldn't change that), but he was less pale (BB looked almost as pale as Near now), and his hair was in a neat bowl cut (it was now spiked out all over the place. When C came, BB was on the edge of insanity. At that time, he was virtually completely off the cliff.)

"At this rate, I think you know what I've come in here for," he said, not even looking at him.

It had been six years since Cat had moved into Wammy's, though to Beyond, it had felt like six hundred years.

The director sighed.

"No matter how much you beg and plead you are _not _getting a new roommate. Not until the one you have dies, runs away, or moves out."

"You shouldn't have put me with her in the first place! There are plenty of other rooms."

"You shouldn't have let A escape!"

That hit home. Beyond Birthday could no longer stand it. B's claws were coming out and he was _not_ a nice kitty.

"You know what? I've had it up to here with this asylum." B put a hand two inches above the top of his head. "I see why A ran away. I can hardly stand being here for three years. I have no idea how he could stand it! I've had enough of Cat, enough of becoming L, and enough of you! Why is it we're supposed to become someone we've never met! I only met him once because you were too cheap to buy a polygraph! I feel like you almost are setting me up for failure! Is that what you want! Is failing the one thing I know my punishment for giving a boy his much-needed freedom!"

Beyond waited for the directors response with his head hung low.

The director buried his head in his hands.

"Those are strong words, Backup-"

B interrupted him. His head popped up and he narrowed his eyes into a demonic red-eyed glare.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'Backup!'" Beyond's voice was on crescendo. "You are a sorry excuse for a caretaker. You don't listen to me; you don't help me work out my problems. You're lying in wait for me to fail! You just do whatever you think will make my life more miserable than it already is, don't you! You know you do! The one good thing you've done for me all these years is give me basic human needs. I don't need you, you know. I don't need to become L. I don't need this place to become great. What I _do _need is some time away from people who only hear themselves, you, Cat, and everyone else! The only one who ever listened to me was A and now he's gone and you know who we can blame for that? You. You are the one responsible for killing my best friend! You and L! You searched everywhere from here to London and never found him. He's dead and you know it! Damn you, damn L, damn Cat, I'll see you all in hell!"

Beyond Birthday stormed out, slamming the door before the director could get a word in. The worst part is everything he said was true, down to the last detail. B was designed to fail. The madness lying deep inside L's original successors was about to be released. In the end, A would manage to get revenge and kill L, but now he was just a cute, innocent little twelve-year-old. How long would the insanity stay dormant? Five years. At the age of seventeen, Light would change the world and almost become god before dying a violent, bloody death.


	7. Chapter 7: Runaways

Chapter 7: Runaways

_**Now we start to get back on track with the original plot. It's longer this time and will make more sense, I promise.**_

_**This chapter is dedicated to everyone in the world trade center on September 11, 2001. I know it bares no relevance, but you brave souls all have your own stories to tell, all of which are amazing ones of hope, courage, and a great will to survive. I know this chapter bares no relevance to such tragedy, but I hope just as I am telling this story, your stories can be heard as well.**_

Beyond ran down the hall. He didn't take any detours in getting to his room as soon as possible. He dashed straight past Cat reading one of those _Twilight _books. BB couldn't have cared less about her right now. He grabbed a leather satchel and filled it with everything he needed.

Just as Edward and Bella were about to kiss on their wedding day, C looked up from her book.

"Hey Backup, whatcha packin' for?" she asked in her sickly sweet voice that still hadn't changed in the years she'd been living here.

Cat was the first student at Wammy's to not be training to take L's place. Instead, she was honing her talents in fashion design. Catherine Sander, her true name, was one of Misa Amane's favorite designers. That frilly outfit she wore when Mogi and Aizawa came to search her house was one of C's designs. Another one was the tight-fitting pink dress with the heart-shaped collar Misa and her friends wore during the party with the Yotsuba executives.

I'm sorry. I've gotten a bit off track. Excuse me.

Beyond Birthday didn't respond. He just continued stuffing clothes, his knife, and a few other essentials into the bag.

"Answer me when I talk to you, Backup!" Cat yelled.

Beyond Birthday almost took the knife out of his bag and cut the girl into a million pieces, but he resisted. The killer spirit was still lying somewhere dormant inside of him.

"I'm leaving, Cat. So long and goodnight." Beyond said, before taking off through the gates.

Cat smiled, looking around the white-walled room she now had to herself. This existence was going to be a bit more fun without that red-eyed freak to drag her down.

BB looked around the small town of Winchester. Where would he go? Beyond looked around, his crimson eyes scanning the area. The names and lifespans of the inhabitants of the town floated above their heads. They stared at him. The barefooted, wild-haired boy with the strange eyes attracted a lot of attention. This was the first time BB had seen Winchester up close in years since he had been brought to Wammy's at the age of nine, about eight years ago.

Something caught his eye. Movement up in the bell tower of the old church. A flash of red hair. Could it be? No, that's impossible. A was dead, right? Well, where else would he have to go? It couldn't help to try.

BB let himself into the bottom of the church's bell tower.

"A!" he called. "If you're here, answer me! It's Beyond!"


	8. Chapter 8: Goodbyes

Chapter 8: Goodbyes

_**Hey guys, I've been having some serious writer's block with this fic, so if you have any suggestions PLEASE tell me. After this chapter, I've completely lost the plot. I need a way for Beyond to get to Los Angeles and Light to get adopted by the Yagamis without crossing paths so the epilogue can go as I planned. Thanks!**_

Light, now twelve, sat on his cot and looked up at the ceiling.

"April, I've been meaning to talk to you."

The black-haired girl tramped down from the loft.

"What is it Light?" she asked.

"I've been thinking about our situation. I've been living under your roof for six years and I decided I'll be leaving. I don't want to be a freeloader anymore."

"What will you do? Where will you go?"

"I thought about this as well. I was thinking, since I'm an orphan and you pretty much raised me, I'll go to an orphanage or something." Light looked at her and smiled warmly. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'd worry about your future. Think about yourself for a change."

"Are you sure you'll be okay? It's dangerous."

"I'm a Wammy's kid. I'm trained in Kung Fu."

"Before you leave, let me get you something."

April galumphed up the stairs and came down dangling a necklace from her forefinger. She placed the dog tag around his neck. The mahogany leather octagon was labeled "Light."

"It's for you," April explained. "I was originally going to give it to you when you turned thirteen, but since you're leaving, I didn't want you to miss your chance."

Light nodded. "Thank you. I'll never take it off. I promise."

This was a promise Light kept. He would still wear it under his shirt when he picked up the Death Note six years later, and then again after he died. It was the only piece of jewelry they found on the body.

As light left, April sighed, pulling out a pen and her journal. As she wrote the following entree:

Dear Journal,

Light left today. I knew this day was coming, I just didn't it would come so soon. I mean, all baby birds have to leave the nest, but I know I'm going to miss him. I know he's destined for great things, though. I hope he does something incredible, because he's certainly capable of it. I'm praying for him!

Thanks for listening,

April Lee-Lavoy

This was the last entree in my Aunt April's journal. Upon finding it, Near and I were able to decipher exactly what was going on and it helped us solve her case, but now isn't the time for that story.

_**Like I said before, I'm lost. Please help me!**_


End file.
